Flush tank valve seat finishing tool



Dec. 28, 1943. a. D. STUVEL FLUSH TANK VALVE SEAT FINISHING TOOL FiledFeb. 19, 1942 INVENTOR. 6WD 2. 5 TUVEL Patented Dec. 28, 1943 NITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to a flush tank valve seat finishing tool.

The chief object of this invention is to provide a tool which may bereadily associated with avalve seat of a flush tank for the resurfacingand finishing thereof without disturbance of any of the flush tankparts.

The chief feature of the invention consists in the provision of a toolcapable of use as aforesaid and which is comparatively light, easilyfabricated, and which can be readily adapted to any flush tank structureof standard type.

Other objects and features of the invention will be more fully set forthhereinafter.

The full nature of the invention will be understood more fully from theaccompanying drawing and the following specification and claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a flush tank dischargevalve fitting with overflow attachment, ball valve guide mounted thereonand the invention operatively associated with these parts, the inventionbeing shown in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the invention taken on line 2-2of Fig. 1 and in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken sub stantially in the plane3-3 of Fig. 2 and in the direction of the arrows.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing, there is illustrated a flush tank, ball valve,seat providing member to having the discharge passage ll therethroughwith which communicates a channel l2 formed within a lateral extensionI3 on the body portion iii. The portion I3 is upwardly directed as at Hiand is provided with an opening [5 to receive the lower end of anoverflow tube I6.

Clampingly mounted as at ll on the overflow tube It is an arm I8 whichat its free and outer end, is bifurcated as at l9 and each bifurcationis apertured as at 2B, the apertures being aligned. By the adjustment 2!associated with the parting ll it will be obvious that the arm l8 may besecured on the overflow pipe It at any desired elevation and in anyangular relation about the overflow pipe. The critical position is whereby the axes of the aligned apertures 20 coincide with the center or axisof the ball valve seat 22 in the member ID.

It has been the experience that quite frequently the ball valves, almostuniversally of rubber, when they become soft and worn, seat and lock inthe valve seat 22 and adhere thereto so that the ball valve is notreadily lifted to permit flush tank water discharge, to the toilet bowltherebeneath and in'those instances forcible elevation of the ball valvewill result in roughening of the seat and destruction of the ball. Theroughened seat accordingly will notseal properly when a new ball isreplaced.

The present invention, therefore, is intended to permit resurfacing ormore accurately refinishing of the ball valve seat 22 in the aforesaidfixture so that proper cooperation is obtained between the new andsubstituted ball valve and said seat.

The present invention, therefore, is illustrated as a shell ofspheroidal'form. This form is used in its generic sense because'theshell @llhas an outwardly and upwardly directed conformation that is soconstructed that thesame can be associated with the several standardsizes of valve seats. The end of such spheroidal shell may be flattenedas at 3i or may be rounded and such a shell may be formed by spinning orstamping,

as desired.

At diametrical points, as illustrated in Fig. 2, there is secured to theupper edge 32 of said shell, the lower ends 33 of an inverted U-shapedsupport member having the arms 34 and the connecting portion35. Hereinthe latter is apertured as at 35 at its midportion and seated therein isthe lower end 31 of a crank having the offset portion'38 and thehandgripping portion 39. Theoverall length of the fixture from the shellto the ofiset'portion 38 is such that it clears the top'of thetank when"the cover is removed. The length of the offsetting portion is such thatthe handle portion 39 does not engage the back wall when the handle isrotated. Preferably the arms 34 and the connecting portion 35 are formedfrom a single piece of rectangular strap metal, having comparativerigidity and the connection between the lower ends of said arms and theshell edge is by a weld.

There is provided a crossbar portion 46. This crossbar portion 40 isapertured as at 4|. It mounts an elongated member 42. The aperture 4! isin alignment with the central aperture 36 in the connecting portion 35and both are in alignment with the central axis of the shell.

Herein, the member 42 is shown provided with a head 43 and preferablybut not necessarily, the cross bar 40 and the member 42 are Weldedtogether. They may, however, be detachably connected. Member 42 isseated in the aligned apertures 20 and serves to align the fixtureproperly with respect to the seat 22 so that the seat is finishedproperly for perfect seating of the ball valve.

Herein the cross member 40 is shown provided with upturned arms 44 andsecured to each is a generally U-shaped member 45 and at the midportion.The arms 46 of this U-shaped member straddle the side edges of the arm34 and each of the straddling arms 46 is provided with an inwardlydirected end portion 41. The two ends of this U-shaped structure aredirected towards each other for embracing the arm 34. While the U-shapedconnection and the crossbar 40 herein is shown as formed of two piecessuitably secured together, it will be quite apparent that the U-shapedstructure embracing the arm 34 may be formed integral with the crossbarportion 40.

The embracement of the two arms 34 by the two U-shaped structures may beof frictional character so that the crossbar structure will be retainedin adjusted position upon said arms but may be forcibly raised orlowered relative thereto. The vertical length of the embracing U- shapedstructures insures substantially transverse positioning of the crossbarrelative to the parallel arms34, The rigid connection between the member42 and the crossbar insures the parallel positioning of the member 42with respect to said arms 34. Hence, when this pilot 42, as it were, isseated in the apertures 20 of the bifurcations IS, the shell 30 will beproperly positioned with respect to the seat 22 for properly finishingsaid seat. The embracing U-shaped structures are preferably upwardlydirected so that there will be little or nointerference between thecrossbar 40 and the arm l8. The limit of rotation, accordingly, possiblewhen the crank 39 is turned first in one direction and then in theother, is such that the shell completelywipes the seat 22. Valvegrinding compound, or the like, may be applied to the seat 22 or theshell and thus all rubber deposits and other irregularities such asscale deposits, et cetera, on the seat, will be removed, the resultbeing, after the finishing operation, that a clean, true, smooth seat isprovided for the new ball valve.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in great detailin the drawing andforespheroidal exterior surface adapted for annularengagement with various sizes of flush tank valve seats, an invertedU-shaped means extending upwardly from said member, a crank handlesecured to the upper midportion thereof, a crossbar carried at oppositeends by the U-shaped means and a guide member depending therefrom foroperative association with the stem guide for tool alignment, the axisof said guide member and' that of the spheroidal member being in falignment resulting inproper and aligned seat going description, thesame is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive incharacter.

The several modifications described herein as I Well as others whichwill readily suggest them? selves to persons skilled in this art, allare considered to be within the broad scope of the information relativeto the tank valve stem guide. 2. A tool as defined by claim 1,characterized by the crossbar being slidably supported by said U-shapedmeans.

3. A tool as defined by claim 1, characterized by the spheroidal memberbeing of shell-like form and the U-shaped means being secured at itslower ends to the upper end of the shell.

4. A tool as defined by claim 1, characterized by the crossbar beingapertured and the guide member being headed, the shank thereof passingthrough said aperture.

5. A tool as defined by claim 1, characterized by the crossbar beingapertured and the guide member being headed, the shank thereof passingthrough said aperture, said crossbar and guide member being rigidlyconnected together.

6. A tool as defined by claim 1, characterized by the crossbar beingslidably supported by said U- shaped means, said crossbar havingangularly directed ends adapted to lie inside the U-shaped means, and alateral portion on each end partially embracing the adjacent arm of theU-shaped means.

7. A tool as defined by claim 1, characterized by the crossbar beingslidably supported by said U-shaped means, said crossbar havingangularly directed ends adapted to lie inside the U-shaped means, and apair of oppositely directed lateral portions on each end and of angularformation, the adjacent immediate ends being directed towards each forembracement of the adjacent arm of the U-shaped means.

, BERNARD D. STUVEL.

